CLAY – The Clay City Council unanimously passed a motion made by Councilor Dennis Locke Tuesday night to supplement up to $1,500 a month for the city’s garbage disposal services between Oct. and March to help offset losses due to recycling program changes.

“A couple months ago, I talked to you about the garbage contract and how there is no recycling in the United States anymore unless you own your own dump because China has refused to take recycling like they have in the past,” City Manager Ronnie Dixon said during the pre-council meeting. “Most of the garbage companies are asking to terminate their contracts. In our case, it expires in March anyway, so they came and talked to the mayor and I about a remedy. The best option that we have from Oct. 1 through March…is for the city to pay the overage, which is an average of $1,500 a month. That’s at the recycling center, where they’re having to pay additional for separating food content from (recyclable materials).”

Dixon said that the city would be sent a bill each month for the actual tonnage, not a flat rate of $1,500. If the city did not agree to pay the overage, the additional costs would affect citizens, he said.

Additionally, the council unanimously passed Proclamation 2018-02, declaring Sept. 15, 2018, to be “Boys and Girls Club Day for Kids.”

The proclamation states that “the children of Clay are the foundation on which our future success is built and…Boys and Girls Club Day for Kids is a special day set aside in September to encourage and remind adults that the meaningful time they share with children is important to kids’ development…”

In honor of Boys and Girls Club Day for Kids, Clay’s John Williamson Boys and Girls Club will be hosting a community-wide event at Cosby Lake this Thursday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

“Everybody is welcome,” Locke said. “There will be food there and lots of games.”

In other city news, Dixon gave updates on progress being made at Cosby Lake, both concerning the dredging project and the new hiking trail.

Dixon said that the city is beginning to set money aside for the dredging project and that citizens can expect to be receiving a letter from the Army Corps of Engineers in the mail detailing the dredging plans.

“Everyone who is a concerned party, and unfortunately, with the federal government I can’t tell you exactly who that is, but I’m assuming everyone in the city of Clay and probably half the people in Pinson and Trussville, will get a note from the Army Corps of Engineers,” he said. “It basically describes our project in dredging Cosby Lake, and this starts the 60-day notification period for those who have public comments and sending them to the corps, and then the corps uses that to issue the permit. When you get it at your house, you’ll see it’s got all of our drawings in it, where Cosby Lake is, what we propose to do. It’s fairly straightforward the way they wrote it.”

Dixon said that he is hopeful that the city can get the permit for the project within the next fiscal year instead of waiting an additional year, which the city was told they could possibly expect.

Additionally, the new hiking trail from Cosby Lake to the Department of Youth Services property is complete.

“We finished it up last Friday,” Dixon said. “We wound up with 400 tons of gravel to cover its 1.3 miles. It is a hike; it’s not a ‘walking’ trail. Make sure that you know that. The first hundred yards will have your heart pumping pretty good.”

Councilor Bo Johnson announced that the city has started the planning phase for this years’ City of Clay Fall Festival. The event will be held at the Clay-Chalkville High School football stadium on Friday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m.

“There should be plenty of parking and plenty of lighting,” Johnson said. “We’re expecting more participation as far as churches and businesses. We’re also expecting a bigger crowd and we will be better prepared for it this year than we were last year.”

Locke announced the city’s $500 School Grant winners for the month of August. They are as follows: